01:07 ET
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Andrew LopezESPN
For the New Orleans Pelicans, everything seemed lost on the third quarter of Friday night in Los Angeles.
The team, which started the season 1-12 and was 14-32 at its lowest point, returned to 36-46 and grabbed number 9 in the Western Conference playoffs.
Things went the way of the Pelicans in the first half on Friday, as they scored a 16-point lead. But then that trail quickly disappeared. They watched the LA Clippers – starless Paul George due to COVID-19 – quickly gain a 13-point lead as Crypto.com Arena prepared for a series of first-round playoffs.
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But Pelicans coach Willie Green calmed his group, leaned on his two stars and a handful of rookies, and watched his Pelicans fight to shock the Clippers and come out with a 105-101 victory.
Jonas Valanchunas scored while the Clippers tried to foul with 12.6 seconds to close the deal. The Clippers then missed two 3 points to start the Pelicans holiday.
New Orleans has advanced from the tournament to No. 8 and will now face the top-ranked Phoenix Suns in a series that begins Sunday.
The Pelicans became only the fourth team in NBA history to start season 1-12 or worse and enter the playoffs, joining the 1996-97 Suns (0-13), 1984-85 Cleveland Cavaliers (1-12) and 1967. -68 Chicago Bulls (1-12), according to a study by ESPN Stats & Information.
The Pelicans led 56-41 with less than a minute to go in the second quarter. The Clippers responded with a 34-6 run that led to the next frame, leading 75-62 with 4:01 by the end of the third quarter.
Season, TeamResult2021-22 Pelicans? 1996-97 SunsL, 1st Round1984-85 CavaliersL, 1st Round1967-68 BullsL, Div Semis– ESPN Statistics and Information
Los Angeles took the lead by 10 points in the last quarter, but the Pelicans responded. The Clippers scored the first three points in the fourth, and then New Orleans woke up. Serie 14-1 tied the game at 88, and the teams exchanged a draw at 94. New Orleans then scored seven in a row – a shot by Larry Nance Jr., a midfield jump by CJ McCollum and a 3-pointer by Trey Murphy – to take over. control.
The third quarter went as badly as it could for New Orleans, which was beaten 38-18. He shoots 6-of-22 from the field, 1-of-7 from depth and 5-of 12 from the free throw line. McCollum, Herb Jones and Brandon Ingram were all minus 20 in the frame.
Clippers coach Tai Lou resigned in the second half, replacing Robert Covington with Tooth Strip, and he immediately paid dividends. Green tried different lineups to move his team, even turning to Tony Snell, who hadn’t played a significant minute for the Pelicans in a month.
When that didn’t work, he returned to Murphy, who rewarded his coach’s faith in him.
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